We're hanging out at our old Blogspot. whatabouroutdaughters.com is down :(

Sunday, March 2, 2008

I was wrong. GASP! Yes, I know, it happens all the time. I have been beating up on Black folks for months because of a refusal to acknowledge that Black teenage girls can be victims of statutory rape, despite the widely held beliefs on the part of many in the community that these girls are fast, entice these fully grown men and boys into committing crime, and are completely and totally responsible for the consequences of their actions.

Well it appears that black folks are not alone in their beliefs about statutory rape, White feminists share may of our beliefs as well apparently, unless these are black folks commenting on their blogs.

Anyway, Racialicious, had a series of guest posts from Latoya Peterson, responding to the ad campaign and addressing many of the myths about statutory rape laid out in the comments of two popular feminist blogs, Feministing and Feministe.

She points out that placing the heads of young girls on the bodies of women misses the point of the purpose of the ad campaign. Milwaukee apparently is having a spate of teen pregnancies where the fathers are fully grown ADULT men. Typically, these men would draw the line at having sex with a 7 year old, but have no compunction about a 12,13,14,15,16 year-old who has a face that more closely matches her body. Isn't the point that this type of man wants a woman's body without a woman's brain or good judgement. They aren't targeting young underdeveloped bodies ( ALTHOUGH WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE THOSE WHO DO). That isn't what is fueling Milwaukee's problem.

The ad was intended to target perpetrators of statutory rape in Milwaukee. Comissioned by the United Way of Milwaukee, the PSA style posters attempted to address a growing issue in that region: an increase in teen pregnancy where the mothers were young to mid teen and the fathers were grown men.....

The young girls who these men are impregnating do not have seven year old faces on twenty year old bodies. Most of them do look close to their actual ages. And most of the men who would sleep with a developed fifteen year old would probably be repulsed by the idea of having sex with a seven year old. Racialicious

But that isn't what troubled Latoya the most, it was the comments and responses from women on the feminist blogs about statutory rape;

I was shocked to see how many women were willing to dismiss statutory rape as an issue of mistaken identity. While there were definately some commenters who spoke up as to why the ads were needed, I was astounded to see how many feminists defended the poor men in this situation, who were tricked by these age-bending teens into having sex. The prevailing assumption was that these girls were somewhere they had no business being, doing grown adult things and most of this statutory rape stuff was just an innocent mistake.

Latoya then shares her own account of dealing with grown men as a teen and then addresses many of the myths associated with statutory rape.

When I was younger, one of my biggest fears was older men. I could deal with the guys in my grade and older teenage boys. What I was not prepared for were the grown men who would persue me ruthlessly - either by following me up the street in their cars or on the metro. This experience was not unique to me - most of the girls I knew then or the women I know now have all had similar experiences with men who looked to be well into their twenties or thirties.

I remember talking to an older advisor at school about how to deal with it, and she suggested (in addition to trying to go find help) lowering my age when men asked how old I was. I remember telling a guy (aged 21) that I was thirteen when I was sixteen and he didn’t skip a beat. He went on to ask if I had my first boyfriend yet and if he could be my first. Racialicious

I wonder what these same women would have said if they saw the NAACP's ad ---- Of course it was produced as part of the the defense Genarlow Wilson. the inference is that the law is a THREAT to the teens as opposed to protecting them.

I wonder when the NAACP will be putting out their anti-teen pregnancy PSA??? Um that would be NEVER!